Bicycling Beginners' Guide

Step 6: Staying Upright

7 / 9

With traffic, shifting, road hazards, and fatigue, riding can seem overwhelming at first. Here are a few basics.

• Etiquette - Communicate with vehicles and fellow riders by using hand signals.
• Shifting and cadence - You’ll ride most efficiently at 70 to 90 pedal revolutions per minute (rpm). To avoid getting bogged down, shift into an easier gear any time you’re about to slow down—before stop signs and ahead of climbs.
• Climbing - On hills, stay seated, keeping your cadence high and your arms relaxed. Stand intermittently on long climbs, or for occasional bursts.
• Descending - Ride with hands in the drops to get closer to the brakes and optimize traction and steering. Look far down the road and always brake ­before a corner, never in it. Apply both brakes evenly to slow down or stop.